Video: Zyxel Hybrid Cloud Wireless Access Point Review

In this video I unbox, setup and test the Zyxel Hybrid Wireless Access Point (NWA1123-ACHD). The access point plugs in to your router or switch and with a few settings in the browser you can be up and running. It supports two modes of operation: Locally managed or via Zyxel’s cloud management system. for this review I used local management.

Specs

First the specs:

Dual band Wi-Fi simultaneous 2.4GHz & 5GHz wireless.

3×3 MU-MIMO 1.6 Gbps (802.11a/b/g/n/ac)

Supports standard PoE+ (802.3at) / External Power Supply

Max. Power Consumption: 15.5 W

Centralized management without the need to install software or a controller via Zyxel Nebula

The device feels very solid and well made, it can be wall or ceiling mounted and the kit the kit is included. Not only are the screws and raw plugs included along with cavity wall plugs with is a nice touch. It comes with a power supply and it also support power over Ethernet (PoE) so if you have a PoE switch you don’t need to setup the power supply.

Once connected up to your network you connect to the AP using the default credentials and then the wizard walks you through configuring the security settings. I found the signal strength was particularly strong, higher than my ISP provided router and as good as the very powerful Netgear AP I have.

The initial setup is straight forward, from the dashboard you can setup VLANS, DHCP, setup load balancing and admin setup. The default settings get you up and running in minutes. As far as network throughput, I found it faster than my ISP’s router and faster than my Netgear router.

I found the AP to be a solid performer, good signal strength and it has good management options. The cloud option will be great for managing multiple devices. PoE is a great feature saving you having to wire up a power supply. Having gigabit Ethernet means that your AP isn’t going to be a bottle neck.

The Zyxel access point costs £159.99 from Amazon UK and here is my unboxing, setup and review video:

Video Review

About the author Ian Dixon:Ian Dixon is a Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional), founder of TheDigitalLifestyle.com tech site and producer of the weekly The Digital Lifestyle Show podcast. Ian has been writing and talking about Windows for over 10 years and has over 20 years in IT as an IT Manager. Ian has thousands of followers on Twitter and Facebook and over 4 million views on his YouTube channel.